National Expert-Based Assessments: Belgium

This report provides an in-depth national expert-based assessment of forest management and restoration in Flanders, with contextual reference to developments in Belgium as a whole. Following Belgium’s transition to a federal state and the transfer of forest-related competences to the regions in the 1980s, forest policy and management trajectories in Flanders and Wallonia increasingly diverged. This narrative therefore concentrates on Flanders, where forests are embedded in a densely populated, highly urbanised and industrialised landscape, and where ecological and socio-cultural forest functions have gradually taken precedence over timber production.

The assessment adopts a chronological structure, analysing forest restoration across three main periods: before 1940, from 1945 to 1989, and from the 1990s onwards. For each period, the report examines the extent and spatial distribution of restoration efforts, pre-intervention conditions, technical and silvicultural approaches, socio-economic and political drivers, and resulting successes and limitations. Early restoration initiatives focused largely on afforestation of heathlands, reclamation of wastelands, and post-war replanting of devastated forests, primarily through monoculture plantations aimed at industrial wood production. These interventions were shaped by long-standing resource scarcity, intensive forest use, and evolving economic demands.

From the late 20th century onwards, a fundamental shift occurred in forest policy and practice in Flanders. New legislative frameworks, notably the Flemish Forest Decree and the Nature Conservation Decree, introduced the principles of multifunctionality, stand-still and precaution, embedding biodiversity conservation and ecological integrity into mainstream forest management. The report documents the gradual transition from even-aged plantations towards more mixed, structurally diverse forests dominated by indigenous species, alongside increased retention of deadwood, habitat trees, and overmature stands. It also addresses targeted restoration measures, such as invasive species control, the establishment of forest reserves, and efforts to mitigate fragmentation through ecological infrastructure.

Drawing on regional forest inventories and long-term monitoring, the assessment evaluates the ecological outcomes of these policy shifts, including changes in species composition, stand structure, deadwood volumes, and standing stock. While significant progress has been achieved in enhancing forest naturalness and resilience, the report concludes by highlighting persistent challenges related to fragmentation, nitrogen deposition, land-use pressure, and climate-related risks, underscoring the need for continued integrative and adaptive forest restoration strategies in Flanders.